One spoke of Diego Maradona. The other spoke of Lionel Messi.
Lionel Scaloni and Thomas Tuchel spent Tuesday trying to explain how football’s most emotionally charged rivalry should be approached with reverence for history but not as prisoners of it.
As Argentina and England prepare to meet in Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, neither coach was interested in borrowing motivation from wars, politics or old grievances. Instead, both framed the occasion as a football problem to solve, even if the presence of Messi threatens to make every tactical plan feel incomplete.
“Everyone remembers the ‘86 game. Diego and especially his second goal. Everyone who loves football remembers it,” Scaloni said.
But he was equally clear that those memories should stay where they belong. “It is a game of football, and we need to keep that. We shouldn’t confuse it with the war, which was many years back, and it was sad. We remember it, but we shouldn’t bring it here.”
Instead, the Argentina coach wants his players to write their own chapter. “We are excited to be in another World Cup semifinal again, and we want to go further. Tomorrow we will leave everything on the field to win.”
For Scaloni, the challenge is as much tactical as emotional. England’s pace, athleticism and directness have forced Argentina into fresh discussions inside the dressing room.
“We have analysed the game as we always do. This game will be different. We seek to improve and neutralise these fine players, and we might try something new. We have our weapons and we will try to stop them from playing,” he said. "The idea is to have the ball and not to suffer as much when we don’t have it. England has explosive players, and we need to find ways to surprise them.”
He dismissed suggestions that conversations with Argentine players based in the Premier League would influence his preparations.
READ: Revisiting the biggest controversies in England vs Argentina World Cup football history
“We know how England plays. We are focussed on the national squad. The league is something else. We are playing England, not the league.”
Scaloni also insisted fatigue would play little role despite Argentina’s demanding route through the tournament. “To be at the semifinals, you cannot think about fatigue. The players playing tomorrow will be fit. A game like this requires everyone to be at their best.”
He praised his squad’s resilience after surviving difficult knockout matches, arguing adversity has become a defining feature of every semifinalist. “To get to this stage you need to overcome difficulties. England did that against Mexico and Norway. Spain did that. Even we had to. That makes you stronger.”
A little earlier, Tuchel’s biggest dilemma had a familiar name.
Messi has eight goals and two assists in the tournament, taking his World Cup tally to a record 21 goals, and England’s coach admitted he even considered the oldest solution in football.
“I was thinking about this... if we do a proper old-school man-mark on Messi.”
Argentina's Lionel Messi trains ahead of the World Cup semifinal. | Photo Credit: AP
Whether England follows through remains uncertain. “I’m not sure if we follow through with this idea, but it crossed my mind.”
Tuchel explained that conventional analysis often breaks down against the Argentine captain. “Everyone knows the spaces where he wants to show up. But he just sees stuff earlier than anyone else on the field,” he said. “It feels like the ball drops to him, he finds the gap, he makes himself the space for his left foot and then executes the solution on the very highest level.”
England may identify patterns in Argentina’s build-up, but Tuchel knows there can be flaws in every blueprint. “I think we found some patterns in their game, of course. But if we close the patterns, he will find a new one or create a new one. That is his super strength.”
Like Scaloni, Tuchel resisted any attempt to inflate the fixture beyond football. “We don’t use history as fuel. We know why we’re here. We know what we want. We respect our opponent, but we don’t dip into historic events and don’t make it bigger than it is. It is a big football match, a big occasion.”
England’s own journey has demanded as much resilience as Argentina's, with comebacks, extra time, travel, heat and VAR.
“We had to ride some rollercoaster experiences that cost a lot. It is kind of draining,” Tuchel said. “But it also fuels me. It makes me feel alive.”
By Wednesday night, one coach’s tactical plan will have survived the challenge.
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Published on Jul 15, 2026